Direction indicator



Nov. 10, 1942. P. P. GUTIERREZ 2,301,537

DIRECTION INDICATOR Filed Nov. l, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet l 16 f5 I3 j 17- ZIl!" 24 22 19 2018* INVENTOR @Ezz GUTJELPEZ ATTORNEY Nov. 10, 1942. P, PGUTlERREZ I 2,301,537

DIRECTION INDICATOR Filed Nov. l, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheetl 2 INVENTOR @75,2P G'UTJEXMZ AT'TORNEY Patented Nov. 1o, 1942 UNITED STATES PATNT OFFICEDIRECTION INDICATOR Peter P. Gutierrez, Watsonville, Calif.

Application November l, 1939, Serial No. 302,349

(Ci. 'i4- 502) i Ciainis.

My invention relates to improvements in a direction indicator, and itconsists of the combinations, constructions and arrangements hereinafterdescribed and claimed.

An object of my invention is to provide a direction indicator in whichan arrow or direction indicating member is swingable into threedifferent positions for indicating stop, left turn and right turn. Thearrow is actuated by a mechanism which in turn is operate-d by thelongitudinal movement of a flexible shaft. The shaft extends from thearrow operating mechanism to a control knob placed on the instrumentboard oi the automobile and within easy reach oi the driver. Means isassociated with the knob for limiting its longitudinal movement when theknob is pulled directly rearwardly and the amount of this movement issuiicient to swing the arrow into the Stop position. When the driverwishes to indicate that he is about to make a leit turn, he can rotatethe knob to the left and then pull it rearwardly. The means associatedwith the iiexible shaft will permit it to be moved longitudinally to agreater extent and this will swing the arrow into a horizontal positionfor indicating left turn.

When itis desired to indicate a right turn, the knob is iirst rotated tothe right from its neutral position and then pulled rearwardly to adistance greater than that required to indicate a left turn. The arrowis therefore swung into a substantially upright position to designateright turn. rihe tendency of the iiexible shaft to rotate to normalposition, will cause the knob to always swing the arrow into the Stopposition when the knob is simply pulled rearwardly.

I also provide a novel means for automatically illuminating the arrow sothat the device can be seen at night and this means consists of a swiYch which will automatically close when the arrow starts to swing. Ifurther provide novel locking means for holding the arrow in inoperativeposition and thus prevent persons tampering with it.

Other objects and advantages will appear in the following specification,and the novel features of the device will be particularly pointed out inthe appended claims.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, forming a partof this application, in which Figure 1 is a front elevation of thedevice, a portion of the arrow being broken away;

Figure 2 is a section substantially along the line 2-2 of Figure l;

Figure 3 is an enlarged section of a portion of the device illustratingthe arrow locking mechanism;

Figure 4 is a rear elevation with the cover on the arrow supportremoved;

Figure 5 is a top plan View with the top of thel support in section, andthe ligure also shows a plan View of the control knob 'and associateechanism; and

Figure 6 is a front elevation of the control knob.

In carrying out my invention, I provide a support indicated generally atA and this support is secured to the side of an automobile indicated bythe broken lines at l, preferably adjacent to the door of the driversseat. The support A eX- tends upwardly and outwardly at a slight angleas shown at 2 and its upper end houses a mechanism at 3 for moving asignal arm B. The support may be of `any shape desired in order topresent a pleasing appearance.

The signal arm or direction indicating member B is pivotally secured tothe support A in a manner presently to be described. The arm itself isin the shape of an arrow, see Figure 1, and Figure 2 shows the iront andback sides of the arrow provided with openings which are covered withcolored glass d. The side walls of the arrow are lined with a reflectingmaterial 5 which is preferably corrugated in order to project light raysfrom a lamp E in all directions and thus uniformly illuminate the glasswindows 4. The side wall reflecting members 5 also actas spacers forholding the glasses l against the iront and rear walls of the signalarm. A special cover glass 'l is placed in the wall opposite the lamp 6and this glass may be removed when the lamp burns out for permitting anew lamp to take its place.

I will now describe the particular means for pivotally connecting thearm B to the support A. In Figure 2 I show the support A with a hub 8and this hub rotatably receives a stub shaft 9. The shaft 9 has ashoulder HJ rotatably bearing against the rim of the hub and the hubextends through an opening I l formed in the rear wall i of thedirection indicating member B. The portion of the shaft projecting intothe member B is threaded and receives a nut I3 which is used forclamping the arm to the shoulder or flange Ill.

The portion of the stub shaft projecting into the support A is reducedas at i4 and the reduced portion is threaded. A washer I5 is placed onthe reduced portion and bears against the inner end of the hub 8. Asegmental gear I9 is also placed on the reduced portion lil and bearsagainst the washer i5. A nut l1 locks the parts in place. A pin I8 ispassed through aligned openings in the gear, washer and shaft for con#stituting a locking key between these parts for causing them to rotateas a unit.

It might be Well to describe the construction of the lamp-supportingsocket before setting forth the means for operating the signal. Theshaft 9 carries a socket I9 and this socket has an insulating portion 29extending through the reduced portion I3. One lamp terminal 2l isembedded in the insulating portion and is in electrical connection witha spring-pressed terminal pin 22. This pin 22 bears against the baseterminal of the lamp 3. The side wall i9 of the socket contacts with theside of the lamp base and grounds the current to the metal part of thedevice and in this way an electrical connection is made back to thesource of current.

A wire 23 leads from the source of current, not shown, to a springswitch arm 24. This arm normally contacts with the end of the terminal2i and closes the circuit to the lamp. When the signal arm B is ininoperative position, the switch arm 24 is held away from the terminal2| by a button 25 that contacts with the underside of the switch arm 24and lifts it clear of the terminal 2| thus breaking the circuit to thelamp. rThe button is mounted on the gear l5. It will be seen that assoon as the direction indicating member B is swung into operativeposition by the gear l in a manner hereinafter described, the insulatingbutton will ride free of the switch arm 24 and will permit it to closethe circuit to the lamp 5. The arm 24 is supported by an insulatingblock 23.

The means for swinging the signal arm B into the three differentpositions indicated as Stop, Left, and Right in Figure 4 is clearlyshown in this ligure and in Figures 5 and 6. The mutilated gear I3meshes with a rack 21 which is U- shaped in cross section as shown inFigure 5. The gear rides in the rack groove and the rack has its teethcut in the curved portion for meshing with the teeth of the gear I3. Thelower end of the rack 21 moves in a guide 28 and has a ilexible shaft 29connected thereto by a screw 39. The shaft 29 slides in a flexiblehousing 3l and the end of the housing is received in a block 32 and isadjustably held in place by a set screw 33. It is possible to makeadjustments between the ilexible shaft and the signal arm B by movingthe rack 21 with respect to the shaft 29 and tightening the screw 39,and also by moving the ilexible housing 3l in the block 32 andtightening the screw 33. In this way, the signal arm B can be adjustedto accurately stop at the three direction indicating positions shown bythe broken lines in Figure 4. The flexible housing 3i with its shaft 29,extends through an opening 34 in the support A.

I provide novel means for moving the shaft 29 longitudinally in theflexible housing 3l, and thus actuating the signal arm B. This means isse- 1 cured to the instrument board 35, see Figures 5 and 6, of theautomobile. The free end of the flexible housing 3| is secured to arigid housing or casing 33 and the flexible shaft 29 is secured to a rod31 slidably mounted in the casing. A control knob 38 is rigidly attachedto the free end of the rod 31 and may be manipulated by the driver ofthe automobile for actuating the signal. Although I have shown thecontrol knob mounted on the dashbo-ard 35, it is obvious that thecontrol device may be placed at any other convenient position in theautomobile. The flexible housing 3l can extend from the signal to thecontrol knob without the necessity oi' boring special openings in thecar body for receiving the housing. Care should be taken that theflexible housing be bent so that only gradual curves will be formed inthe housing. This will aid in the easy operation of the device.

The rigid housing or casing 33 has novel means for limiting the movementof the rod 31 so that the operator can give only three separate anddistinct longitudinal movements to the flexible shaft 29. These threedifferent movements are suilicient to cause the direction indicatingmember B to swing into the three diiierent angular positions shown inFigure 4. I have also provided novel means for requiring the operatortoturn the knob 39 either to the right or to the left prior to pulling theknob if he wishes to give a Right turn or a Left turn signal.

When the knob 38 is pulled rearwardly without being rotated either tothe left or to the right, a pin 39 carried by the rod 31 and riding in aslot 45 in the housing 36, will strike a stop 4l forming a portion ofthe slot i9 and thus prevent further longitudinal movement. Thismovement, however, is sui'licient to swing the arm B into a Stopposition. After the Stop signal has been made, the operator can push theknob 38 back into its original position and this will swing the arm Bback into inoperative position. It should be noted that when the arm Bis swung, the insulating button 25 will permit the switch arm 24 toclose the circuit to the lamp S and thus illuminate the arm.

If the driver wishes to make a left turn, he iirst rotates the knob 38to the left, (counter-clockwise when looking at Figure 6), and this willmove the pin 39 against the side 43a of the slot 49. The knob 38 is nowpulled rearwardly until it reaches the broken line position marked Leftin Figure 5. At this point, the pin 39, which previously has entered abranch slot d2, will reach the end of the slot and then When the knob isreleased, the tendency of the wire 29 and rod 31 to twist back intonormal position, will Vcause the pin 39 to enter a recess 42a. Theadditional movement imparted to the shaft or wire 29 will swing the armB into the horizontal position shown in Figure 4 and indicate Left turn.The operator in releasing the device, merely turns the knob 38 slightlyto the left to free the pin 39 from the recess 42a and then moves theknob back into neutral position. Y

Almost the same procedure is followed when the driver wishes to indicatea right turn. The knob 38 is rotated to the right rather than to theleft and this will bring the pin 39 against the side 4319 of the slot43. The knob 33 is now moved rearwardly and the pin will travel in asecond branch slot 43. The slot i3` is longer than the slot 32 and theknob 38 can therefore be pulled to the dotted line position indicated bythe word Right in Figure 5. At this position, the pin 39 will reach theend of the slot 43 and then when the knob 38 is freed, the tendency ofthe rod 31 is to twist back to normal position and this will move thepin into the recess 43a. This will hold the arm B at the angle indicatedby the broken line designated by the word Right, in Figure 4. The lamp 6will be illuminated for this position as well as the Left turn and Stoppositions. The arm B is freed when the knob 38 is turned slightly to theright for disengaging the pin 39 from its recess 43a. The knob is thenmoved back into normal position and this will move the arm B downwardlyinto inoperative position. I have found that there is sufficientfriction between the flexible shaft 29 and the housing 3| to hold thearm B in any position into which it is moved; however, the recesses 42aand 43a, provide a positive stop for the arm B and will hold the pin 39against accidental return movement.

The housing 36 is rigidly secured to the instru- 1 ment board 35 by nuts36a and 36h.

In Figure 3 I show a simple means for locking the arm B againstaccidental swinging motion when the device is in inoperative position.This will also prevent anyone from grasping the arm and trying to swingit. An L-shaped bolt 44 is carried by the lower end of the rack 21 andenters an opening 45 in the bearing 8 when the arm B is swung intoinoperative position. 'I'he end of the bolt 44 is long enough to alsoenter a bore I 46 formed in the shaft 9 and in this way, the shaft isheld against rotation. The signal arm B is rigidly secured to the shaftand therefore this arm will also be held against rotation. The

bolt 44 will be freed from the shaft 9 by the initial l.

longitudinal movement of the iiexible shaft 29 and this bolt freeingmovement will occur before the gear I6 starts to rotate the arm B. It isobvious that the arm B may be provided with any other type of automaticlock desired.

From the foregoing description of the various parts of the device, theoperation thereof may be readily understood.

During the description of the various parts, I

have also set forth the operation and therefore Iy it need not bementioned in detail. One novelty of the invention lies in the fact thatthe control or pull knob 38 is pulled directly rearwardly for indicatingStop or is rst rotated either to the left or to the right before it ispulled, in accordance with the wishes of the driver to indicate either aLeft turn or a Right turn. This right or left turning movement of theknob by the operator, is a natural one because when he wishes to turnleft, he will naturally turn the knob 38 to the left and vice versa. Thecontrol device for the arm B is extremely simple and takes up littleroom on the instrument board. It also provides novel means for holdingthe signal arm in any one of three desired positions.

The switch mechanism for the light is automatic and therefore the signaldevice can be seen at night as well as in the day.

While I have shown only the preferred form of my invention, it should beunderstood that varii ous changes or modifications may be made withinthe scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit ofthe invention.

I claim:

l. In a direction indicating signal, a flexible shaft, a housing for oneend of the shaft and having a U-shaped slot with one arm of the U,longer than the other, a pin on the shaft and slidable in the slot, anda knob connected to the shaft and being rotatable for aligning the pinwith the desired slot arm and then being adapted to pull the pin intothe slot arm, the pin limiting the longitudinal movement of the shaft,the top of the slot base limiting the movement of the when the knob ispulled without first being rotated.

2. In a direction indicating signal, a flexible shaft, three spacedstops for limiting the longitudinal movement of the shaft to threedifferent lengths, said stops being angularly spaced one from anotherwith the stop limiting the shaft to the shortest movement beingpositioned between the other two stops, a pin carried by the shaft and aknob for moving the shaft and pin, said knob being turnable for aligningthe pin with any one of the three stops, thereby predetermining thelength of longitudinal movement to be imparted to the shaft.

3. In a direction indicating signal, a housing carrying a flexibleshaft, a pin carried by the shaft, said housing having a slot forslidably receiving the pin and two branch slots spaced from each otherfor providing a pin stop therebetween, the branch slots being ofdifferent lengths and both longer than the pin stop disposedtherebetween, a knob for moving the shaft longitudinally until the pinstrikes the central stop, said knob being initially rotatable in eitherdirection for directing the pin into the desired branch slot andpermitting the pin and shaft to move farther when the knob is movedlongitudinally.

4. In a direction indicating signal, a housing carrying a fiexibleshaft, a pin carried by the shaft, said housing having a slot forslidably receiving the pin and two branch slots spaced from each otherfor providing a pin stop therebetween, the branch slots being ofdifferent lengths and both longer than the pin stop disposedtherebetween, a knob for moving the shaft longitudinally until the pinstrikes the central stop, said knob being initially rotatable in eitherdirection for directing the pin into the desired branch slot andpermitting the pin and shaft to move farther when the knob is movedlongitudinally, the ends of the branch slots having recesses forreceiving the pin and preventing the accidental return movement of theshaft and pin.

PETER P. GU'IIERREZ.

